Things aren't looking very good at all in Guatemala for adoptions. Many of my very close friends are still in progress. Here is one womans story, please go to http://www.sunflowersandladybugs.com/welcome.asp to read the rest of her story.
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The US Department of State issued a very serious warning today about Guatemalan adoptions. The warning indicates that when the Hague is implemented on January 1st, adoption cases in-process (pending) WILL NOT BE GRANDFATHERED IN under current adoption law and MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BE COMPLETED.
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Let me put this as plainly as possible -- because of the nearly nonexistent chance of Eliana's case being approved by PGN before January 1st, if things unfold as DOS has reported, there is a HIGH RISK we will NEVER be able to finish her adoption.
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If we ever get to that point, WE WILL HAVE NO RECOURSE. So it is IMPERATIVE that we do everything within our power to NEVER get to that point! So far the US DOS has simply reported the information. They have taken no steps to resist this plan or to protect us families with cases already in-process! Many of you have expressed a growing desire to do something to help our situation. Well there is something ENORMOUS YOU CAN DO now, and the time to act is TODAY (not in three months when a uniformed man is demanding we hand over our daughter).Every person reading this blog, and every person that you know, can join together to DEMAND THE U.S. TAKES ACTION to protect us families with cases in-process. Baby-Girl's future is at stake here. Even if you've never exercised your political voice before, PLEASE take 10 minutes to: Call the DOS Guatemalan Adoption Desk at 202-736-9090
Call, email or write your two U.S. Senators and your U.S. Congress person.
Call, email, or write the President of the United States Email: comments@whitehouse.govComments Line: 202-456-1111General Switchboard: 202-456-1414FAX: 202-456-2461Mailing address: The White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
Sign the online petition - to be posted soon
TALKING POINTS (from several sources including adoption.com and Hannah Wallace):
*Who were the Guatemalan Officials that informed the DOS of this?
* What is the definition of "pending" cases?
* What specifically did the Guatemalan officials say about cases in process?
*If the cases are not allowed to proceed under the old procedures, will they be allowed to proceed under new
procedures, or will they not be allowed to proceed at all?
*Is the US saying that they refuse to protect or help American Citizens who were issued a 171 H by OUR government to adopt from Guatemala and entered into a "good faith" agreement with this foreign country? *Are we on our own?
*Why is DOS failing its mandate under the Hague Convention to ensure that adoptions proceed expeditiously and according to the terms of existing law?
These are children we are talking about…children that we fell in love with, visited, and even fostered. We need a plan for both countries to act in the best interests of the children. What is that plan? How is the US acting to protect it's citizens and their prospective adoptive children? SAMPLE EMAIL and PETITION Several sources have promised to post a sample email as soon as possible. There is also a movement to create an online petition. I'll get those links up here as soon as they are available.
I know you're going to ask how we're holding up... but I'm not sure how to answer that. I'm numb right now. We're living in a war zone with attacks coming from all directions at once. I keep going on autopilot because that's just what you do. But when you see others going home all around you while you just sit, at some point the tears dry up. What's left is something like an empty dental socket. It's pure anguish when the wind sweeps across it, but as long as you keep everything away from it, the pain calms down to a throbbing ache in the background. The quasi-numb throbbing ache in the background is where I've been hanging out lately. But then tonight Erin mentioned that tomorrow is Azucen@'s one year anniversary of going into PGN. When we got off the phone I suddenly gushed tears for their lost year. Then I sat and pondered why I can easily well up over my boat-buddy's nightmare, but for our own nightmare I feel only numbness, punctuated by occasional rage. So, that's why I haven't blogged in several days. The sucker punch last week knocked the wind out of me. I have no words left to convey my complete and utter disgust with the web of lies, incompetency, and politics that continue to hold us hostage. But hey, looks like the DOS' red-alert snapped me back to the keyboard. Anyways, that's how I'm doing. Maybe I can get Gary to write a post about how he's doing.
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Here is what was posted about the warning
GUATEMALA
September 2007
WARNING: The U.S. Department of State urges American citizens not to commence an adoption process from Guatemala at this time. Fundamental changes in Guatemalan and U.S. adoption law will take effect over the next six months. These changes are likely to inject considerable uncertainty into the adoption process Guatemala has stated that it will become a Hague Convention country on January 1, 2008. Guatemalan officials have informed us that Guatemala plans to require cases pending or filed after December 31, 2007 to meet Hague standards, even if the adoption procedures commenced before that date. They have also informed us they will not process adoptions for non-Hague member countries after December 31. We understand this to mean that Guatemala will stop processing adoptions to the United States beginning January 1, 2008, until U.S. accession to the Hague Convention takes effect. Given the average time frame for completing an adoption in Guatemala, cases started now cannot be completed before January 1, 2008. When the Convention is in force for the United States, projected to occur in the spring of 2008, there may be a period of time during which we will not be able to approve adoptions from Guatemala, until Guatemala’s adoption process provides the protections for children and families required by the Hague Adoption Convention.The Government of Guatemala has confirmed its commitment to the Hague Adoption Convention, and is already working to amend its adoption law to conform to Hague requirements. However, the current adoption process in Guatemala is not consistent with the Convention. Designing and instituting new procedures will take time. The U.S. Government is working closely with the Hague Permanent Bureau and other interested governments to support Guatemala’s transition to meeting its obligations under the Hague Convention. American citizens pursuing adoptions in Guatemala are already encountering some delays in the process. As recently as August 2007, several dozen children who were to be adopted by U.S. citizens were taken into custody by Guatemalan authorities because of alleged irregularities in the adoption process and concerns about the care of the children. A court-ordered investigation is now underway.Several adoption service providers are under investigation in the United States, and at least one U.S. adoption facilitator faces prosecution in the United States. Under these circumstances, prospective adoptive parents face the real possibility that current, pending cases may be disrupted by legal investigations.The Department of State strongly recommends that prospective adoptive parents defer plans to begin an adoption in Guatemala until the legal and procedural issues described above have been resolved.
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